Since the release of this information three kinds of people have surfaced. First, the sympathizers, who continue to pray for Sharmeka and her family and that she has a speedy recovery. These are the folks who were present at the candlelight vigil, shared Sharmeka’s story via Facebook and Twitter, and like the Facebook page dedicated to Sharmeka and her family.

The next to appear were the skeptics. These are the people who are really trying to figure out what is going on. They asked questions like “How was she able to call 911 after receiving the burns?” “Why did it take the police two days to figure out that her finger prints were on the gasoline canister?” “Where are the witnesses?” “Where is the toothpaste?” After these series of questions, the skeptic decides to wait before coming to any final conclusions, as Sharmeka is still in the hospital unable to speak because she is in critical condition.

And finally the bigots. Yes, the bigots. Why is it that the exact reason, many of the commentators on this site were infuriated and angry by the language that the author used only to turn around and shoot out black bitches and niggas,! ARE YOU FOR REAL???? But, you want to call me a race baiter for agreeing with a very logical conclusion, considering the legacy of the infamous KKK and unjust/unwarranted/suspicious-as-all-hell, killing of black people in the United States of America, upon hearing that a Black woman was set on fire in Louisiana.

“Now the facts are out, she done it to herself. So all u dumb n_____s can shut ya sh*t up. If it was a race crime than y’all have it wrong. She should be charged with insinuating a race war by giving u dumb n______s something else to cry about like the white man owes u something. Her welfare check musta been short or she was having a bad day with one of her 5 babydaddies.” Joe

“The dumb black bitch burned herself. So if it was a hate crime it was hateful towards white people. Idk if she wanted attention or what, but da bitch done it to herself. N if half you dumb niggas would jump to conclusions you’d see the facts don’t line up. But your quick to claim race hate crime like the white man owes you something. Grow the fu*k up.” Joe

Above are two of the comments from that group of bigots who can’t understand why black people believed the perpetrators were white. First let’s start with the obvious, it happened in Louisiana and the victim claimed the men wore white hoodies. People immediately linked this to the infamous KKK because of their history of terrorizing black people and lighting shit on fire. We can understand if the crime was associated with some random, benign person or organziation. But who could have imagined a person would set themselves on fire and fabricate such a story. Second, black people have learned from cases like Trayvon Martin, Alesia Thomas, Chavis Carter, Amadou Diallo, Ramarley Graham, Milton Hall, Oscar Grant, Sean Bell, the Scotts sisters, Troy Davis and the many more unknown because their stories have been suppressed and overlooked.

We have realized that our stories will not receive much media attention, and sometimes go unnoticed, if we do not unite and expose injustices against us. In situations like this every second counts, and you cannot recover lost time. You must be weary when approached with hearsay, but the historical incidences of crime against black people and its lack of coverage in the media has left us more vigilant. Because if we don’t CNN, MSNBC, ABC, sure and the hell won’t. The day before Sharmeka’s tragic incident, we received an instant update from AP and CNN about the Wisconsin man who shot up his wife’s spa. But when Trayvon Martin was murdered in Florida by a neighborhood watchmen it took months before major media outlets covered his story, and justice has yet to be served. Is it really that difficult to sympathize with a black victim?

It is disheartening to see that some people rejoiced when they found out Sharmeka did this to herself, and offered little comfort for her or her family. Similar to the anger expressed by people on Twitter who felt they wasted their tears when they found out one of the Hunger Games main character was black. I guess you wouldn’t empathize if you do not know how it feels to constantly be pulled over because of the way you look or dress and to know that your life is expendable. Police can take you down at any moment with little or no repercussions.

At the end of the day, Sharmeka is a person. She is a person who has experience a tragic event, whether it was self-inflicted or not. There is no need for people to start spewing derogatory profanities such as baby daddies, welfare checks, black bitches and niggas. Why? Because this is the definition of race baiting and it has nothing to do with Sharmeka or her situation.

Negative energy, comments, and trolls BE GONE!!!

To Sharmeka and family, we are praying for you here at Black Women UNchecked.

My reaction to the ‘update’ was two-fold. First, it called to mind the gal up in the Seattle area who splashed acid in her own face outside of a Starbucks and claimed some other person did it (still not sure why) and then second, it made me wonder if she got the idea from the Tibetan monks who have recently resorted to lighting themselves on fire in protest of Chinese rule.

Whatever her reasons, it’s tragic that it has come to this, where she felt she had to do it. 😦